Film and cameras that are all in one, commonly referred to as single-use or one-time-use cameras, have become well known. Typically, the one-time-use camera is a simple point-and-shoot type comprising a plastic main body part which supports a conventional film cartridge in a cartridge receiving chamber, a film take-up spool in a film supply chamber, a fixed-focus taking lens, a film metering mechanism with a rotatably supported metering sprocket that engages successive sections of the filmstrip at a backframe (exposure) opening, a manually rotatable thumbwheel rotatably engaged with a film spool inside the film cartridge, a single-blade shutter, a manually depressible shutter release button, a resilient cantilevered support for the shutter release button, a rotatable frame counter for indicating the number of exposures remaining to be made on the filmstrip, a direct see-through viewfinder, and in some models an electronic flash unit. A pair of plastic front and rear cover parts house the main body part between them to complete the camera. The rear cover part connects to the main body part and/or to the front cover part to make the main body part light-tight. A decorative cardboard outer box or label at least partially covers the camera and has respective openings for the taking lens, etc.
After each picture is taken with the one-time-use camera, the photographer manually rotates the thumbwheel in a film winding direction to similarly rotate the film spool inside the film cartridge. This winds an exposed section of the filmstrip into the film cartridge. The rewinding movement of the filmstrip the equivalent of slightly more than one frame width rotates the metering sprocket in engagement with the filmstrip to decrement the frame counter to its next lower-numbered setting and to pivot a metering lever into engagement with the thumbwheel in order to prevent further manual rotation of the thumbwheel. Manually depressing the shutter release button to take another picture pivots the metering lever out of engagement with the thumbwheel to permit renewed rotation of the thumbwheel. When the maximum number of exposures available on the filmstrip have been made, and the filmstrip is completely wound off the take-up spool and into the film cartridge, the one-time-use camera is given to a photofinisher who tears the outer box off the camera, separates the rear cover part from the main body part, and removes the film cartridge with the exposed filmstrip from the cartridge receiving chamber. Then, he removes the exposed filmstrip from the film cartridge to develop the negatives and make prints for the customer. At least some of the used camera parts may be recycled, i.e. reused, to remanufacture the camera.
Typically, the electronic flash unit is connected to the main body part during original manufacture or remanufacture of the one-time-use camera. As shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,047,792 issued Sep. 10, 1991 the flash unit is attached to the main body part via a hook that projects from the main body part through a hole in the flash circuit board.
At times as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,460,942 issued Jul. 17, 1984 the electronic flash unit can comprise a housing that has an open front, a light-transmissive cover connected to the housing to cover the open front, and a reflector insert and flash tube positioned inside the housing for the reflector insert to reflect light emitted from said flash tube through said cover.